Harvest Moon: Back to the Blight
by momonigiri
Summary: All she wanted was a quiet life, a good life. But, that all changed the day a lowly farmer met something out of her wildest nightmares. Will she and her companions be able to survive a Blight? (Please R&R! Many characters from HM N64, Tree of Tranquility, and Dragon Age Origins. AU)
1. Prologue

**Hello All! So this is all sorts of firsts for me: 1) My first attempt at crossovers, 2) My first attempt at a Harvest Moon fic, 3) My first attempt at keeping the chapters roughly under 1500 words each, and 4) My first attempt at using various writing prompts to improve my work. As always, the makers of these games hold all the rights...I just play along with the characters. :D**

**For those of you who don't know, Harvest Moon is a farming simulation game that basically has the character live out his/her life on the farm while completing quests and dealing with townsfolk. In particular, this crossover will feature many characters from Harvest Moon 64/Back to Nature, Tree of Tranquility, and Tale of Two Towns. I imagine all the lands in the Harvest Moon games to be in the same world (so, characters have knowledge of other characters from other games, for example). **

**In terms of locations used from HM, in order to prevent confusion, I will use Flowerbud Village of the N64 game (with the name coming from several wiki sites around the internet), but the characters will have a mix of who they were in HM64 and BTN.**

**And for those of you who do not know Dragon Age...excellent...this will be a journey for you, too. :3**

**Needless to say, this fic is pure AU~**

* * *

**Prologue:**

_Day 1: I hate traveling by boat. Why must everything bobble and sway so? If I hadn't won that farm in a lottery, there would be no way on the Goddess' green earth that I would ever travel by sea. It makes writing difficult, not to mention- - -_

Throwing the book aside, the woman ran to the nearest railing to relieve her queazy stomach in a fit of un-ladylike belches and moans. Wiping her mouth with her sleeve moments later, the woman sank down on a bench.

An elderly gentlemen with shocking white hair said something to her, but she couldn't focus on his questions due to the constant rocking that had left her holding her head between her knees to prevent another bout of vomiting.

"Err...thanks for taking me to the island," the woman mumbled with shut eyes, "Pascal, was'sit?"

The wrinkles around the man's mouth crinkled into a smile as he cleaned a wooden pipe with a handkerchief. "Ay, that's my name."

He opened his mouth as if to elaborate further when a flash of lightning filled the cloudy sky along with an accompanying rumble of thunder.

"This doesn't look good," Pascal said with a shake of his head. Faded blue eyes looked out into the distance. "The sea has never been this angry before," he added, mostly to himself, as he went back to manning his small boat. The woman was left alone once more.

_I just hope we arrive on dry ground before I turn old and grey, too..._

* * *

The first days on the island were spent with another farming family where the woman helped with daily chores until her own house was ready. She wasn't thrilled by the fact that she had been basically tricked into providing free labor for these people, but if she had to do this to earn a place to call her own, then she'd do it.

"I've spent summers at my granda's farm in Flowerbud Village, so I'd hate to burden you with teaching me something that I already know," the woman said to the owner of the farm, Craig, when he quizzed her for the umpteenth time about how to use basic farming tools.

"And I see you're a lazy type that likes to skip out on her duties," he said with flick of a hand as he left her abruptly. The woman looked down at the sickle in her hands, sighed, and got back to work.

Anissa, Craig's daughter, watched her whenever the woman entered the main living quarters. She didn't say much, but the woman couldn't help but feeling that Anissa's smiles were slightly forced when they interacted.

She found a book on her bedside table when she awoke one morning with a note from Anissa saying that it was hers to keep. Turning it over, she read "Farming for Dummies" in bold print.

"Thanks for the book, I'm sure it'll be useful," the woman said that morning at the breakfast table.

"Yes, I thought so," Anissa responded, "Hopefully you'll have room in the house the Mayor has built for you to put a bookcase to keep such things."

The woman bit into a biscuit as an excuse not to comment.

Anissa addressed her again when the woman was about to go outside. "I hope my dad isn't too hard on you."

The woman didn't know whether to take her comment as an insult or one stemming from genuine concern, so she merely smiled and continued on her way.

_The sooner this week was over, the better._

* * *

By the time the sun set on the last day of her time there, the woman's body begged for a break. Walking away from the farm, she past several buildings before reaching a forest enclosed by a fence.

"If you can cut it or break it, you can take it!" A sign read at the entrance to the land. It was quiet there, by the trees and boulders, so the woman sat down with her back up against one of the fence posts, and closed her eyes.

...｡. o.｡. o.｡. o.｡. o...

"Sorry, Miss," an amused male voice said when as she opened her eyes upon hearing someone near her. Trying not to react like a startled deer, the woman straightened her back and looked up at the person speaking to her. The young man bowed, and the woman could see black smudges coloring his gloved hands and clothes. The distinct outline of muscle definition caught her eye as her gaze traveled upwards to see warm, brown eyes and a head of spiky, auburn hair.

"Nice to see some new faces around here," he said with a grin as he extended his hand. The woman grabbed it, and he pulled her up easily. "Owen's the name. I work at the blacksmith's just down the road."

"Pleasure to meet you," the woman said with a smile of her own. Owen spoke about his work and also inquired about her. He talked enthusiastically about the things she could work on to become excellent at farming; but soon, darkness fell and Owen and the woman parted ways.

Tonight would be the first night in her new home, and the woman couldn't be happier. Pulling up a quilt over her eyes, sleep came instantly.

* * *

_The woman was a child again, playing in the Flowerbud mines near where her grandfather lived. It was safe there because she always knew where to find her friends._

_"Hello, budum!" The child called, running over to a creature that was no bigger than a man's hand. Bending down, she rubbed her thumb and forefinger on the being's pointed ear. This, she had been taught, was the proper way to greet a Harvest Sprite- - -tiny, elf-like beings who possessed magical power._

_"Terrible news, budum!" The sprite shouted, waving his arms frantically. "I fear it is too late, budum!"_

_The girl looked on in concern. "Too late for what?"_

_But, the girl was pulled away before the sprite could answer. Swallowed by the darkness that now surrounded her, the girl saw a shimmering light. Within that light, she saw an angelic woman with long, green hair. She struggled to speak._

_"Some...help...Fade...evil..."_

* * *

The woman bolted up in bed. _What the heck was that about?_ She thought to herself as she got up to feed her dog, Bandit. Suddenly, the ground underneath her shook so violently, the woman fell to her knees. Frightened, she scrambled underneath a table and held onto it tightly. But, just as soon as it began, the tremors stopped. She sighed in relief.

Walking outside hesitantly, she noticed that the morning quake did nothing to disturb her land. So, she decided that the best thing for her to do would be to forget about the quake and her strange dreams. She worked for hours in her fields, trying to clear the land.

...｡. o.｡. o.｡. o.｡. o...

"Hello," someone said, calling to her from the path below the hill where her farm sat.

Sun spots swam in her field of vision as she looked towards the direction of the voice. She saw a tall man coming towards her.

Jet black hair was pulled back loosely in a horse's tail that went down past the man's shoulders, while wisps of errant strands framed large, almond-shaped eyes that were hidden behind glasses.

"The air here is exceptionally clean," he commented as he looked around the farm. "I'm Jin. I decided to take the liberty of introducing myself when I saw you had moved in."

His focus sharpened behind his spectacles as the woman wiped her sweaty brow on her sleeve. He walked over to her until he stood in front of her in the field she was de-weeding. "Don't overwork yourself. You're still getting used to the labor required of farming, so it would do you no good to collapse from exhaustion and wind up in my clinic."

The woman raised an eyebrow at her visitor, her lips thinning into a line upon her face. She pushed a lock of long hair behind her ear. "I think I know myself well enough, but thank you for your...concern."

Bandit growled at her side, his hackles raised. They turned to look at what had gotten the dog's attention and gasped. Some- - -_thing_- - -was glaring at them. Not even in the woman's worst nightmare could her mind have conjured up something so terrifying.

Skin the color of putrid flesh was stretched over the creature's stocky frame, and jagged teeth jutted out of a lipless mouth seemingly carved into its face. The thing- - -whatever it was- - -had a suit of badly made leather armor with spikes adorning the shoulders.

Jin was so close to the woman that she could hear his whispered prayer in her ears."Blessed Goddess, help us..."

The daylight caught the sheen of a crude ax in the beast's hands as it lunged, its mouth agape in a gut-wrenching roar. The woman's eyes widened, but her body froze.

* * *

**PS. I have a poll up on my profile, but I still need suggestions for names. I was thinking either Ami or Colette, but if you have a name, please leave a review or send me a PM. I love collaborating with people from everything from names to plot ideas! :D**

**Also, the word "Budum" is a sentence ending found in some of the Harvest Moon games. It is used by a set of characters as a way to denote a kind of sing-song quality to their speech, according to one of the wiki sites I read.**


	2. Down the Rabbit Hole

The woman felt a sudden force hurling her to the ground, and a loud thud erupted moments later. The woman looked up as her eyes darted frantically around the area.

Jin lay unconscious, his body crumpled against the side of the woman's chicken coop. This man had stepped in front of the creature's attack to block her from getting hurt.

The woman couldn't believe it- - -why would someone do something like that for someone they had just met?

But she had no time to dwell on such matters. The monster- - -for that was what it could only be described as- - -turned its beady gaze to the woman.

It sprinted toward her, its bared teeth flashing black with caked on blood and gore. The woman rolled and slung a fistful of dust, effectively blinding the thing momentarily. In the flurry of the moment, the creature attacked her using its gnarled hands to claw at her.

She scrambled backwards on her feet like a crab, scuttling out of the way. But she was too slow, and the monster caught the denim fabric of her jeans, sending a searing, hot pain up the woman's leg.

She kicked and thrashed, letting out a panicked yelp as the creature sunk its nails into her leg. She fanned her body outwards, her hands fumbling anything she could use. The creature released its hold on her as it steadied its heavy ax in an attempt to swing it down upon her head.

Suddenly her fingers curled around something wooden and she used whatever was in her hand to stab the fleshy area of the creature's chest where there was no armor. The iron sickle she had in her grip dug deep into the monster's skin and a blood-curdling, sputtering hiss filled the air.

The monster recoiled back, and the woman saw her only window of opportunity when her gaze landed on the extra sickle lying near her feet. She thanked the Goddess for the fact that Craig had insisted she take an extra set of tools with her when she left his farm; and grabbing the tool that had now become a weapon, she attacked the creature.

Her fear induced actions caused the woman's mind to go numb and her eyes to go unseeing. Blurs of blacks, reds, and silvers colored her vision, but she had no recollection of her actions in the next moments. There was another sound of iron slashing through flesh, and another surge of pain reverberating from her body.

* * *

Her sight began to clear as she became aware of her body's movements. Heavy, adrenaline-laced breathing now pounded in her ears, and her heart pumped so fast it made her chest ache.

Somehow, she was now straddling the thing.

And somehow, there was a massive hole where its neck used to be connected to its body, gushing out its black blood in pulsing spurts. The creature's eyes that were once steely and crazed, were now dead and lifeless orbs in a cracked skull.

"H-hey..._hey_..." A muffled voice behind the woman said weakly.

The woman's gaze traveled to her white-knuckled hands that still held a sickle in them. Thick, black blood covered her hands all the way up her arms and across her body. The black goop was everywhere around her, the creature's lifeforce still pouring out of the massive gash she had cut along the thing's neck.

Screaming was the only thing the woman heard. She wished it would stop, for the screaming was beginning to make her feel dizzy and disoriented.

It was then that the woman realized that _she_ was the one screaming.

The bits of blood, muscle and tendons that dripped from the hand scythe's curved edge made a soft plopping sound as it hit the ground that reminded the woman of a light drizzle at the start of a summer's rain. She tried moving her other hand only to discover that it was still grasping the extra scythe that was plunged into the thing's chest cavity. It made a squishy, gurgled sound as she tried to dislodge her tool, but her hands began to tremble as her strength drained from her.

Jin finally managed to stand up in time to see the woman half running, half hobbling, over to some bushes to throw up. He walked over to her cautiously, trying to give her space to breathe.

"Our bodies are in shock," she heard Jin say softly, his voice wavering. His tone hardened in concern as soon as the woman tried to stand but stumbled.

He reached out to examine the woman's bloody leg. "You are injured."

Jin brought back his hand in surprise at her reaction.

"Stay away!" She spat, her eyes wide and panicked.

The ground rumbled again, and the woman lost her balance, and she instinctively reached out to steady herself by leaning up against the man next to her.

Looking up, they both believed that their eyes must be deceiving them: shining, green cracks split the sky open overhead as if their entire world was about to crumble.

"Goddess preserve us," the woman breathed as terror made it harder for her to speak.

Her dog, Bandit, barked madly once more, and the woman looked over in the direction where the man's petrified expression was now fixated- - -more of those monsters were spewing up from the ground as glowing fissures erupted in the walking path some distance ahead of them.

Jin pulled her up by the arm, his grip tightening around her to keep her stable. "We need to move..._now._"

Cracks formed everywhere to chase after their feet as the pair ran. The woman could no longer put any pressure on her injured leg, so she was forced to rely on Jin to help her. They ran in the opposite direction of the monsters, the sound of their clanking armor echoing threateningly around them.

"Take cover in the mines!" Jin instructed as they headed over to the large cave opening. They eventually made it to the safety of the mines, and the woman knew they were very close to the farm and blacksmith area where she had spent her first week working on Waffle Island.

_Where are the other townsfolk? What about Owen...is he being attacked by these Goddess-forsaken creatures as well?_

Jin's surprised yell jerked the woman back to the present moment, and she sprung into action as soon as she saw him. The Ganache Mine was always a dangerous place due to the pitfalls and holes one occasionally encountered. And now was the absolute worst time to find such a pitfall, for there was no telling just how far one would fall before hitting solid ground. If these monsters did not devour them, the woman thought, then falling through the mine might kill them instead.

The woman knew what she had to do, and she did not hesitate to dive on her stomach to reach for Jin as he tried to pull himself up unsuccessfully. The woman grunted as she took hold of his arms and threw her weight back in an effort to heave him up to her level.

Dark green eyes flashed with fear before settling into an angry resolve. "Let me go!"

The woman kept pulling at him, unwilling to give up. "Don't- - -be- - -stupid!"

The ground gave way under her body weight, and Jin pulled her close as both man and woman fell into a pit of darkness.

Unsure of what else to do, she clung to Jin's white coat as he held on to her. "We're going to die," she whispered as the tears she wished to cry would not come.

Thoughts flooded the woman's mind._ No, this is not how I will_ _die_..._not after going through everything I did...to gain freedom. I refuse to be done away with by this!_

The last thing the woman remembered was a green light filling up her vision so brightly she could no longer see.

* * *

An overwhelming sense of peace enveloped the woman's mind now as she found herself in the darkness once more. She feared that opening her eyes would drive the warm feeling away, so she merely sat there for a time and waited. Then a dim light flickered in the back of her eyes, and the woman knew she was not dead. She slowly opened her eyes, her sight still fuzzy and unclear.

"Duncan," a warm voice said near her, "I think she's waking up."

She squinted her eyes to try and focus on the face that belonged to the voice only to make out lightly tanned skin and short golden-brown hair.

"My name is Alistair," the man said with a soft smile. "Do you remember your name?"

The woman's voice came out as a croak when she spoke.

"It's Colette."


	3. Another World

**A/N: Okay, so I got a bit excited with this chapter and went over the word limit, but I'm willing to bet this chapter would have been well over 6000 words if I would have not taken into account the word limit. Anywho, thanks to all who have favorite and followed! Hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

Colette stared at Alistair. "Oh um," the man mumbled as he leaned toward her, revealing a damp cloth in his hands, "looks like you've got a bit of gore caught in your- - -"

Colette snatched the cloth from his hand before he could move closer. "I can handle it," she replied, her voice still creaking from disuse.

Taking the rag, the woman applied pressure to the two long, thin braids that stuck out from behind her ears to squeeze the black blood that still drenched her hair. She squirmed under the man's gaze when he would not look away from her.

Blue hazel eyes flashed. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Y-your..._dangles,_" Alistair said, twiddling his fingers to indicate her braids, "Do they always look like that?"

Colette tried not to look too surprised upon realizing that her braids now faded from a dark auburn color to a whitish blonde nearing the ends.

"What was _in_ that thing's blood?" She said softly to herself.

Alistair shifted, the leather and metal pieces of his armor clicking noisily. "Do you remember anything that happened?" Alistair said, his voice now gentle.

"I remember..." she paused to examine the man's face in the candlelight that flickered on a table near her. She felt scared and disoriented, but when she looked at Alistair, she felt like she could tell him what happened without the man thinking that she was utterly insane.

She spoke hurriedly, afraid that if she were to stop talking, she would not be able to complete the story. She spoke of her daily routine being interrupted by an earthquake, and how she had toiled in her fields for most of the morning. But, Alistair seemed particularly interested in the monster she encountered, and pressed her to describe the thing in great detail. She rambled on, speaking of how she ran for her life when her eyes widened suddenly.

"_Jin_," she exclaimed as the memory flashed before her mind's eye. "Jin he...he fell with me..."

Colette's voice faltered into silence. He had stood in front of her when the monster attacked them- - -he _protected_ her- - -and Colette wasn't sure what she thought about that.

"Oh, you mean that fellow with the white mage's cloak?" Alistair commented, "Yeah, he'd been unconscious for several days, but he's awake and unhurt now. I've never seen someone quite like him."

"I...don't really know where he's from, if that's what you mean," she replied in embarrassment. "We've only met that day those things attacked us."

The two sat in silence for a while, pondering different things as the time passed.

...｡. o.｡. o.｡. o.｡. o...

"Hmm...Colette...Colette," Alistair hummed aloud in thought, "Where are you from, if you don't mind me asking?"

She didn't hesitate to answer him this time. "I'd just moved to Waffle Island, but I'm originally from Iron Bridge City."

Her statement was met with a blank stare. Alistair quickly regained his composure but continued to study her curiously.

She averted her eyes, noticing a cloth bandage wrapped around her leg. Judging from her surroundings, Colette guessed she was in a tent meant to be used as sleeping quarters. _Why are these people in the middle of nowhere...camping?__  
_

"What an odd name..._Wa- - -ffle_," Alistair said slowly before his eyes brightened, "Is that near Orlais? Because, you know, with a name like Colette, it sure does _sound_ Orlesian."

Now it was her turn to stare. "Orlais? I'm afraid I don't have any idea what Orlesians sound like."

"Zey sound like zis," he replied, wiggling his eyebrows at her while speaking in some sort of French accent. "And zey walk around with high airs and bright clothes, that sorta' thing."

He sighed when he could see no recognition in her hazel blue eyes.

"I may not know much about this Orlais, but I'm pretty sure you just butchered what was supposed to be a lovely accent," Colette responded, smiling in spite of herself.

Just then, the tent's flap swung open and a man with spectacles adorning sharp features ducked inside.

"Jin," Colette said, breathing a sigh of relief.

His lips ticked upward, and he opened his mouth to respond, but then closed it with an embarrassed look on his face.

"It's Colette," she answered, interpreting his uncomfortable expression.

"I came to see how you were feeling," he said as he walked to her bedside. "Though I'm unsure _why_ you decided to attack a creature we know nothing about. You could have been gravely injured."

Alistair offered his seat to the man. "I'll go and get Duncan. He said he wanted to see you, Colette, as soon as you were conscious."

Jin frowned. "She should have no visitors. Her health demands rest if she is ever to recover from such an experience."

Alistair stopped just before reaching the cloth door. "I'm sorry...Jin, right?" He said with a bow, "I was told this couldn't wait."

Shortly after he left, another heavily armored individual entered the tent with Alistair following behind him. The man's black, wavy hair was pulled into a horse's tail, like Jin's but much shorter in length, that accentuated a chiseled, tanned face, a full mustache and beard, and creases around his forehead and eyes. Whoever this person was, Colette thought, he certainly commanded power.

"Alistair, you've had some time to speak with Colette," the man said in a deep voice, his eyes turning in her direction as he said her name, "Do you think she will be able to go through the Joining without venturing into the Wilds like all the other recruits?"

Colette's head spun, and she opened her mouth in protest, but Alistair interrupted her.

"She'll be able to do it, Duncan," Alistair replied as he turned his head to look at her with a comforting smile. "From what I can gather, she's already killed a Genlock, I think. There's no need to drag her into the Wilds in her current state when she's already proven herself more than capable."

_Genlock? The Wilds? What will they do with me?_

Duncan saw Colette's panicked face, and his shoulders slumped. Recruiting wardens in this manner was his least favorite method of adding to their ranks. "We will have time to brief the girl later. For now, we should prepare the Joining as fast as possible so the Taint doesn't kill her."

Jin pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose, and Colette felt herself recoiling at the sound of his voice. It was quiet, almost melodic to her ears, but the man's tone carried the weight of authority in it as he addressed the men. "Surely you can't be serious about all of this..._pseudoscience _I keep hearing about from all over this camp."

He moved closer to Colette. "I am a doctor. Perhaps your 'ritual' will be unneeded after I have taken a look at her."

Large, black eyebrows knit in confusion. "I do not know where you hail from, Stranger, or why you two suffer from amnesia that would make you forget about something as basic as the history of the Blight and darkspawn, but I assure you," Duncan said as he stepped closer to Jin until their faces were inches apart, "This 'ritual' is vital for her to live. There is no other way."

The men stared at each other unblinkingly. After some time, Duncan sighed. "If it will ease your nerves to _try_ your own methods with her, then do it, and do it quickly...if it is okay with Colette here."

The woman nodded stiffly, and the two iron-clad warriors left the tent with Duncan cursing something called an "Andraste."

* * *

Colette was happy Jin stood up for her because she didn't even have the strength to stand up on her own two feet at the moment.

That happiness faded, however, when Jin sat down next to her with a sigh.

He turned his gaze to her when Colette cleared her throat. "I know this will sound...incredibly cheesy but um," she twirled one of her braids between her fingers as she looked in every direction other than in Jin's eyes. "I'm glad I'm not the only one stuck in this mess."

He was taken aback by her soft words and could only nod in agreement. "I will find out what has happened and get us home, but I must attend to your leg first."

Jin saw her visibly flinch as he placed his fingers on her bandaged leg to unravel the cloth.

"You _are_ really a doctor...right?"

He heard her voice wavering as he slowly unwrapped her leg. "Yes, I've travelled the world studying medical practices from many different cultures," he replied, his voice even despite the fact that had never seen a wound like the one on that now decorated the woman's calf. He was careful not to touch the black puss that weeped from the gashes the monster had made into her flesh while also examining the sickly, ashen color her leg was turning. He heard her clenching the blankets that covered her while trying to squirm away from his touch. He spoke gently to her until he saw her muscles relaxing. He returned his focus to her injury.

Matching blackness filled the woman's veins surrounding the wound, and her skin was cold and clammy to the touch. Her pulse was erratic and getting weaker by the minute.

_I've never seen anything like this...it looks like a kind of rapidly spreading, dark cancer. But...such a thing can't possibly exist in this manner, can it?_

Colette chuckled feebly, causing Jin to snap out of his thoughts. "That bad, huh?"

Jin rose from his seat and retrieved a pitcher of water. He propped her up slowly and helped her to drink.

He spoke to her while she was occupied, the words sounding strangled in his throat.

"I think we need to talk to this Duncan about 'Joining' you."

* * *

Jin walked out from Colette's tent with a defeated grunt, and approached Alistair and Duncan as they stood around a large campfire. He told the older man of his findings, and expressed his desire to accompany the woman during this "Joining" process. Duncan shook his head.

"I must ask you to stay around the campsite and not follow us after a certain point," Duncan said, holding his hand up when he saw the look of objection on Jin's face, "The Joining is a secret event only to be experienced by fellow Grey Wardens."

"I beg your pardon, but I do not follow," Jin looked down, hoping to conceal the warmth of irritation that had begun to creep up his neck. "Grey Wardens?"

"You two must've hit your heads harder than we thought," Alistair said with a wave of his hand, "Grey Wardens fight the creatures like the ones you said you saw- - -the Darkspawn, as they're called."

Alistair clapped his hands together. "But enough chit-chat, we have a Joining to perform!"

Duncan and Alistair soon disappeared into Colette's tent before anything more could be said.

...｡. o.｡. o.｡. o.｡. o...

Jin clentched his fist. He knew a forced smile when he saw one, for he trained his own features into a similar expression when he had to deliver news of someone having a fatal illness or disease. He stuck his hands in his pockets, and wondered if he would ever know where the two of them were or how they even got there.

Duncan and Alistair emerged moments later with Colette leaning against the latter to avoid walking on her hurt leg.

Jin came up beside the younger man to whisper into his ear without Colette hearing. "Why do I have the feeling you are not telling us something?"

Alistair continued walking and did not seem to react to his words. "Because that's _exactly_ what I'm doing."

The two men on either side of Colette signaled to Jin that this was as far as he was allowed to follow them. Other armored men guarded the section of land Alistair and Duncan carried Colette through, so the doctor decided to return to the campfire near the center of the area.

* * *

Jin walked aimlessly, his thoughts consuming him. He brushed a lock of long, black hair from his face and crossed his hands behind his back as he circled the fire. Nothing made sense to him: the odd way people talked, their attire, and the smell of wet dog and deplorable sanitation conditions- - - all of it overwhelmed him. Taking off his glasses, Jin wiped his hand over his face to try and calm his nerves.

His glasses dropped to the ground when a scream reverberated in his ears to send chills down his spine.

Scrambling to grab his dusty eyewear, Jin broke into a run and nearly tackled the men guarding the area where Colette had been taken.

He arrived in time to see her clutching her neck as she fell to her knees, her dark auburn hair covering her face like a veil.

"Colette!" Jin yelled, his heart stopping in his chest. Alistair and Duncan pinned Jin's shoulders back up against a tree when he tried to reach her writhing body.

"Leave her be, or so help the Maker, I'll slay you where you stand," Duncan threatened calmly.

Jin struggled against them as he watched in horror at the woman flailing about on the ground near his feet.

"What kind of evil _is_ this?!"


	4. The Joining

**A/N: Thanks everyone for reading the story so far! I've just gotten another Harvest Moon game, Animal Parade, so I'm sure bits and pieces of it will show up in this story as well. This chapter has a lot of in-game dialogue, and I apologize for that. But, I just wanted to make sure that those unfamiliar with Dragon Age would have some sort of foundation to build upon as they read. Please enjoy!**

* * *

**::Just before the Joining::**

* * *

Colette's leg burned, and she bit the inside of her cheek to fight against the numbing pulses of pain. Her vision blurred, and a chill went through her body. Her head bobbed dangerously as she tried to keep her focus steady. She relied on Alistair on her left and Duncan on her right to ensure she didn't fall. A white coat swam in her vision as Colette dragged her feet along the ground, wishing more than ever for the safety and comfort of her warm home back on Waffle Island (even if she had recently moved there not too long ago).

Jin sidled over to Alistair, his large, almond-shaped eyes unreadable. Colette saw his mouth moving, but could not hear what was said between the two men although she was so near to them. Dark brows knitted together in irritation underneath silver-rimmed glasses, and Colette felt a pang of anxiety grip her heart when Duncan forced the doctor to stay behind as they continued forward.

...｡. o.｡. o.｡. o.｡. o...

"I had the Circle mages preparing some leftover blood from the last Joining to give to our friend here," Duncan said to Alistair once out of earshot as they led the woman further into the camp.

Her jaw finally unhitched so she could speak. "Where are you taking me?"

"The old temple not far from here," Duncan replied, his voice calm and even.

The stone path they walked on opened, but Colette's head throbbed in too much pain to fully take in her surroundings. Her footsteps felt as if someone had chained weights to the bottoms of her soles, and her breath came out in haggard spurts. She tore her weary eyes upward to see two gigantic statues flanking the sides of their path like sacred warriors encased in stone to forever guard the temple the three of them now entered.

The pain in her leg started to inflict a searing sensation in the pit of her stomach, and the woman was horrified when she realized how ashen her skin looked.

"Am I...am I going to die?" She croaked suddenly.

"I will not lie," Duncan said, his voice tinged with sadness that made her ears burn, "We Grey Wardens pay a heavy price for becoming what we are."

Alistair leaned into the woman to steady her on her feet as Duncan broke away from them.

"The Grey Wardens were founded during the First Blight when humanity stood on the verge of annihilation," he stated as he grabbed a chalice off of a pedestal in front of him. "So it was that the first Grey Wardens drank of darkspawn blood and mastered their Taint."

"_Taint_?" Colette hissed.

Alistair met her inquiring eyes with a furrowed brow. "The sickness you have because you fought the thing you told me about."

"The Genlock, right?"

"You're catching on quickly," he quipped with a slight grin.

Duncan glared at the two young people, and Alistair looked down at his armored boots with appropriate embarrassment.

"As I was saying," the older man said sternly before approaching Colette. "As we did before you, and as the first Grey Wardens did before us, you will need to drink the blood from the chalice I give to you. It is the source of our power."

Alistair's grip tightened around the girl's arm when she audibly gasped and squirmed upon hearing the words.

"Those who survive the Joining become immune to the Taint," Alistair said to her to get her to calm down, "We can _sense_ it in the darkspawn and use it to slay the Archdemon, their leader."

Colette's eyes widened. "I'm not even from here...I don't even know where here _is_," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Why should I...why s-should I care what happens?"

Alistair's eyebrows shot up as his gaze focused on her. "You can't possible mean that," he said quietly. "The Blight, what we Grey Wardens fight against, will kill thousands of people and devastate the farmlands for years. Don't you care about other people's livelihoods?"

Colette looked down at her boots and muttered to herself bitterly.

"It is for you to decide your fate," Duncan said, handing her the unadorned, silver chalice. "Die now, or take a chance and let Fate decide your destiny."

She pushed herself away from Alistair, determined to stand on her two feet._This surely must be some sort of initiation into their weird group_, Colette thought to herself wearily, _If this is what I have to do to get back home, so be it...Freaky people and their freaky crap._

Swiping the cup away from Duncan, Colette sighed, shut her eyes, and gulped down the thick liquid before anyone could react.

"Wait, I didn't even get to say the speech!" Alistair cried out abruptly.

The liquid tasted like acid laced with iron on her tongue. Sputtering, Colette grasped at her throat as it clenched itself tighter and tighter until she could barely breathe. Her knees pounded the stone floor as Colette's feet gave way underneath her. Just as the pain was about to become unbearable, Colette heard a voice in her head, calling to her in a twisted gurgle that resonated of evil and darkness. The voice thrummed in her head, and sent vibrations through the woman's very core. Her bones felt it, her blood felt it- - -her very _soul_ felt the voice commanding her allegiance. A draconian figure filled every space of her mind's eye until the being was all she knew in that moment. The voice that had rattled her body now burst forth from the creature, and it turned its reptilian gaze to her (or so she thought)._  
_

No one told her who that large dragon was sitting atop a precipice was- - - no one had to.

_That_ was the Archdemon.

And _that_ was what the Grey Wardens were fighting against.

Before everything went black once more, one pervading thought screamed in her consciousness. _How can mere men fight, let alone defeat, something so powerful?_

* * *

A softness relieved her aching back as sounds of the night trickled through the woman's awareness. _I'm dead...I got eaten by a nasty dragon, and I've joined the Harvest Goddess in the spirit realm..._

The sound of water being wrung into a bowl echoed around her.

"Wha- - -" Colette mumbled, trying to sit up in bed, but only succeeding in thrashing underneath thin blankets.

A wet cloth dabbed her forehead lightly.

"I'm..._alive_?"

"Your vitals are irregular, and you are in desperate need of fluids in your system, but yes,you are very much alive. I saw you fall, but those armored men would not allow me to come to your aid until after 'it' was finished."

Colette offered the man a weak smile at the vexation in his voice. "We've only consciously known each other for twenty-four hours, and you have done nothing but tend to me and save my life, Doctor. What an odd way to get to know someone."

Jin tilted his head down and readjusted his glasses, looking down at her solemnly. But the moment passed when the they heard voices outside of the tent.

"These..._people_ here," Jin said, lowering his voice so only Colette could hear. "I don't trust them..._any_ of them."

Just then, Alistair poked his head through the canvas fabric of the tent's door-flap. He grinned when he saw Colette was awake. "I'm glad you made it through," he said cheerily as he walked over to the woman.

Colette sat up in bed, bringing her hand to her head until she was certain she wasn't going to throw up from dizziness.

"So much to do, so little time," Alistair said, gesturing for her to stand. "Let's go outside, and I'll introduce you to Solana Amell before we turn in for the night. She's the other new Grey Warden joining us."

Colette planted her feet down on the ground and slowly rose to follow Alistair, still uncertain about everything and everyone in this strange place.

Her eyes traveled over to Jin who was scribbling something down on a piece of parchment and charcoal. She made a mental note to ask him about that later when Alistair called to her again.

"Don't let your guard down," she heard Jin say, though his mouth didn't move.


End file.
